Nepal, Aug. 29 -- Prime Minister Balendra Shah said on Saturday that the government would preserve DNA samples and other identifying evidence from bodies that cannot be identified before taking steps to bury or otherwise manage them.

In a statement posted on social media on Saturday evening, Shah said only unidentified bodies would be handled by the government, while those identified by their families were being handed over to relatives.

"Only bodies that cannot be identified will be managed by the government after preserving DNA and other evidence that could help establish their identity," he said. He urged the public not to be misled over the government's handling of the dead.

Prime Minister Shah said that 675 bodies had been recover...